Kevin Blissett: Out of the Cave

A serious concern for those of us who spend quite a lot of time working and networking on the www is identity theft.Leah Betancourt from Mashable provides some sage suggestions as to how we can protect ourselves online. Articles on this topic almost always suggest that users establish a central hub such as a blog or website to aggregate their online presence. Additionally, it’s a good idea to diversify your online portfolio; that is, join a range of the most popular online networks and be consistent in how you present yourself.

Betancourt’s identity theft prevention tips include the following:

 

1. Centralize Yourself — Create a central online location so that you control what information is on it. Then connect from that central location to other websites.

Establish an online version of yourself both professionally and personally. Jansons recommended having at least one blog and a personal website with your name as the domain and being active on at least one of each type of social media service so they work as your online resume and base of operations. Then use all of those services as you wish and allow your presence to grow.

2. Know Sites’ Terms — Know a website’s terms of service, privacy policy and the terms under which you’re contributing content. Find out who holds the copyright once that content is uploaded.

3. Document Your Work - Back up web pages, make PDFs of your clips or other work in case the URL may change or get pulled from the website on which it was published. Keep sources’ contact information, interview notes, writing drafts and hardcopies, photos, video files and any relevant reference material.

 

4. Archive Content – Add your URLs for inclusion in the Wayback Machine at the Internet Archive. The database tool makes a copy of a Web page and stores it with a data and timestamp. It gives a physical reference for when the content was online and what was there.

As people get more savvy with social media tools, they may be less likely to play fast and loose with their online identities.

McGeveran said many people find their tastes changing about the amount they choose to reveal about themselves in public. He added that because social networking sites such as Facebook are gaining importance and reach, to expect more problems like this to arise and that the law will need to adjust in response.